Why you should check your spam folder regularly

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t pay much attention to your spam or junk folder. It’s designed to catch unwanted emails, so why bother? But important emails can sometimes end up there by mistake. If you’re not checking it regularly, you could miss critical information about your website, like updates, security alerts or billing notices. Here’s why it happens and what you can do about it.

Why do important emails go to spam?

Email providers like Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo use spam filters to protect you from unwanted or dangerous emails. These filters look for things like suspicious words, too many links or emails from senders you don’t often interact with. They do a great job most of the time, but they’re not perfect, and sometimes legitimate emails get flagged by mistake.

This is especially common with automated emails, like those from your web host or other service providers. For example, if you don’t regularly open emails from your website host, the filter might decide they’re not important. Other reasons include:

• Sender reputation: If the sender’s email system isn’t set up properly, filters may flag it as suspicious.
• Content issues: Certain words (like “free” or “urgent”) or lots of images can trigger spam filters.
• Low engagement: If you rarely open emails from a sender, filters may assume they’re not relevant to you.

No matter how careful a sender is, some emails may still slip into spam because of your email provider’s settings or other factors beyond their control.

What kind of emails might you miss?

If you work with a web hosting or website management company, you rely on them to keep your website running smoothly. They send important emails to keep you informed, and these can sometimes land in spam. Here are the key types of emails you might miss:

• Website maintenance notifications: These let you know about work done to keep your website running properly, like software updates, bug fixes or server improvements.
• Security alerts: These warn you about potential threats, like hacking attempts or outdated settings. Missing them could leave your site vulnerable.
• Billing and invoices: These include payment reminders, invoices and notices about changes to your plan. Overlooking them could lead to late fees or even a pause in service.
• Account updates: These cover changes like password resets, new users or updates to your hosting features. Staying informed helps keep your website well managed.

Missing these emails could lead to serious problems, like your website going offline, a security breach or unexpected costs.

What can you do to avoid missing these emails?

You don’t need to be a tech expert to stay on top of important emails. Here are some simple steps:

1. Check your spam folder regularly: Make it a habit to look through your spam or junk folder at least once a week, especially if you’re expecting an important email.
2. Mark important emails as “not spam”: If you find a legitimate email in your spam folder, mark it as “not spam” or add the sender to your contacts. This tells your email provider that those emails matter to you.
3. Whitelist trusted senders: Most email providers let you add trusted senders to a “safe senders” list so their emails always land in your inbox. (Here’s how to whitelist emails in Gmail, Outlook, iCloud and more.)
4. Be careful marking emails as spam: If you accidentally mark a legitimate email as spam, future emails from that sender may have a harder time reaching your inbox. Only mark emails as spam if you’re sure they’re unwanted.
5. Watch out for scams: Your spam folder also catches real scams. If something there looks off, don’t click its links or open attachments. Contact the sender directly instead. (Here’s an example of fake emails impersonating Five Point Web Solutions.)

A special note for our clients

At Five Point Web Solutions, we work hard to keep your website secure, up to date and running smoothly. We send important notifications about maintenance, security, billing and account updates to help you stay informed. But even with our best efforts, some of these emails might end up in your spam folder because of how email filters work.

Please take a moment to check your spam folder regularly. If you find one of our emails there, mark it as “not spam” and add our email address to your contacts or safe senders list. It only takes a few minutes, and it can save you a lot of trouble down the road.